With a 0-3 start to Big Ten play, Indiana field hockey needed a spark to turn its chances of making the Big Ten tournament around. The Hoosiers created that spark last weekend with a 2-1 shootout win over then-No. 10 Maryland on Friday and a dominant 3-1 victory against Penn State on Sunday.
The victories pushed Indiana up to sixth in the conference standings with a 2-3 record. The Hoosiers will try to carry that momentum into their last home regular season games this year. Indiana will take on No. 18 Ohio State on Friday and Michigan State on Sunday.
The Buckeyes enter the matchup third in the Big Ten standings. Ohio State’s three Big Ten wins have been over then-No. 11 Maryland on Oct. 3, Penn State on Oct. 5 and then-No. 11 Michigan on Oct. 12. However, the Buckeyes are coming off a 4-3 loss to Michigan State in their last game on Oct. 19. With a 7-6 overall record, Ohio State stands at No. 30 in the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index.
The win over the Buckeyes gave the Spartans their first Big Ten victory of the season. Michigan State lost four consecutive games in the conference and is last in the standings. Its 5-9 overall record lands them at No. 56 in the RPI rankings. The good news for Indiana is that Michigan State has not won a game away from East Lansing, Michigan, this season, as they hold a 0-6 record on the road. Before heading to Indiana, Michigan State travels to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on No. 10 Iowa on Thursday night.
Meet the Buckeyes
Ohio State can be a dangerous threat on offense this season. The Buckeyes rank second in the Big Ten with 222 shots and 138 shots on goal. Ohio State has also produced 95 penalty corners, which is third best in the conference. However, the Buckeyes are fifth in the Big Ten for goals scored and seventh in assists.
Offensively, Ohio State has mostly been led by one goal-scoring threat: graduate forward Makenna Webster. She has 17 goals scored this season — while no other Buckeye has more than four — which ranks her second in the conference and fifth in the NCAA. Webster has also produced five assists, bringing her total points this season to 39. Ten of her scores came from the opening two games this season, including a six-goal performance in a 9-3 win against Kent State University on Aug. 31.
Along with Webster, 10 other Buckeyes have scored at least one goal this season. Freshman forward Raleigh Kerst has the second-most goals for Ohio State with four.
Sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Stevens leads the Buckeyes in net. She has shown her worth in her first season in Columbus, Ohio, after transferring from Liberty University last offseason. Starting every game this season, Stevens owns a 1.26 goals-against average — which is fourth in the Big Ten among goalkeepers over 100 minutes — and 40 saves for a 70.2% save percentage.
Meet the Spartans
The Michigan State offense has come alive in the last two games after it went four games without scoring a goal. Before their four-goal upset performance over Ohio State, the Spartans scored five goals in a 5-1 win over Ball State University on Oct. 14. With 28 goals total and 98 shots on goal, Michigan State ranks seventh in the Big Ten for both categories.
The Spartans have seen 12 players score at least one goal this season. Junior forward Bianca Pizano has a team-high five goals after also producing five scores last season. Her 10 points tie her for first on the team with sophomore back Caro Schafer. Schafer has produced three goals and collected four assists.
Junior goalkeeper Lyra Gavino has started 12 games for Michigan State this season, with sophomore Ashley Herbert opening the other two. The pair owns the highest goals-against average in the Big Ten at 2.79. They have also faced the most shots on goal at 134 but have collected 97 saves for first in the conference. A 5-0 win against Ohio University on Aug. 30 was the only shutout for Michigan State this season.
Indiana notes
The Hoosiers’ two wins last weekend have changed the outlook on the season. That change was seen this week after Indiana entered the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll for the first time this season at No. 20. Indiana picked up 13 votes from the 11-person panel.
Along with national recognition, Indiana also received a Big Ten award this week after sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Canelli was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Canelli produced a career-high seven saves against then-No.18 Miami University and Maryland. She totaled a 1.51 goals-against average and a 79.2% save percentage.
Offensively for Indiana, three Hoosiers are tied for a team-high six goals this season. Junior midfielder Inés Garcia Prado, sophomore forward/midfielder Charlotte Glasper and freshman forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo are all tied for 10th in goals scored in the Big Ten. Garcia Prado has added eight assists to her stat sheet this season and is tied for fifth in the conference with 20 points.
Indiana’s match on Friday will start at 3 p.m., while the Sunday contest begins at noon. Both showdowns can be streamed on Big Ten+. After these two games, the Hoosiers will have to make the Big Ten tournament for more action at Deborah Tobias Field.
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
